Vignetter.



A. G. B. VERA.

VIGNETTER. APPLICATION FILED MAYB. 1918.

1,282,331. Patented oet. 22,1918.

ALFONSO G. B. VERA, OIFv CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0v CHARLES KEMLER, OFr CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

VIGNETTEBH Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Applicationled May 8, 1918. Serial No. 233,254.

To all whom t may concern: l

Be it known that "I, ALFONSO G. B. VERA, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain new andy useful Improvenients in Vignetters, of which the following is declared to be a full, clear, and exact description. y 'i This invention relates to vignetters, and its` principal object isto provide` a vignetter with adjustably and slidably held blades, which may bereadily manipulated yto produce an exposure opening of any suitable and desirable shape. For instance, it may,

be found desirable to make the exposure opening conform, generally, to an irregularr fl1ne, as for instance, 1n the casek of a photograph of a person wearing a broad rimmed hat, or to make the exposurel openingeonform generally to the outline of the head, neck andl shoulders of a person, and l.this present vignetterr has been devised to meet all of such requirements. ,With these and other objects in view,"this invention consistsin the several novel-.features hereinafter fully described and claimed.,

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1, 'is a plan of a vignetter embody ing a simple form of,-the present invention, with a part of one of the frame members broken away to show parts therebelow; Fig. 2, is a detail cross section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;k Fig. 3, is a detail cross section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4, is a erspective view of one of the slidableblades y which the size and shape of the exposure opening may be made.

Referring to said drawing, the reference character 5, designates a frame which has an opening through which the exposure is made. Said frame may be of any suitable -or desirable shape, and for convenience I have illustrated it in elliptical or oval form, since this form is well adapted for printing photographs of persons.

vThe frame is preferably made of two companion frame members 7, 8, secured together as by screws 9. Slidably secured between said frame members are a plurality of blades 10, which extend radially from the middle of the frame, and are adapted to be moved lengthwise of themselves in the frame to produce any desired shape of exposure opening between their inner ends. In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawing, each blade is guided in the frame to permit lengthwise movement thereof, and it is here shown as comprising a flat strip of thin sheet opaque or opaleseent material having a downturned edge portion 11, along one longitudinal edge, which enters a' groove 12, inthe member 8. of the frame. The grooves 12, converge toward each other and are arl ranged to extend in radial directions from the middle portion of the frame opening 6. The grooves may terminate at points ad` jacent the outer edge of the frame member 8, to limit the outward movement of the blades. y

Preferably a stop is provided for limiting the inward movement of the blades and said stop is here shown as comprising a ring or band 13, fastened tothe inner edge of the frame member 8, asby screws 14. The downturned edge portion 1l, of each blade terminates in a shoulder 15, atits outer end, which shoulder may be formed by making the edge portion 11, a trifle wider at the end, Vas shown at 16. Preferably, the inner ends of the blades are pointed or rounded off to ka point as shown at 17, tovobtain a more uniform blend or shading ott1 invignetting a photographic print. For convenience, a tongue may be formed upon one side of leach blade near its inner end which tongue may be bent up as at 18, to provide a finger hold for manipulating the blades.

The blades are made narrow as compared with their length and overlap each other within the opening 6, formed in the frame to prevent light from passing between the blades, and striking the photographic print at any place except through the exposure opening defined by the pointed ends of the blades.

From the above description it is obvious that each blade may be adjusted lengthwise of itself in this frame to bring its inner end at any desired position in the center opening 0f the" frame, and that all of said blades may be manipulated so as to produce any desired shape of exposure opening through which to print the photograph.

After the blades have been adjusted to form the desired exposure opening, the vign etter is used in the customary manner, well known to those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without departing from the spirit ot' this invention; l desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown and described, but intend, in the following claims, to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

l. A vignetter having an exposure open ing defined by a plurality of independently movable, narrow, radially extending blades, overlapping each other along their side edges.

2. A vignetter comprising a frame having an exposure opening, and plurality of narrow blades, grouped around said opening and adjustably mounted to move toward and away from the middle of said opening in lilies lengthwise of themselves.

3. A vignetter comprisinga Jtrame having an exposure opening, and a plurality of overlapping blades grouped around said opening and slidably mounted on said frame to move toward and away from the middle of said opening in lines'lengthwise of themselves.

'4. A vigiietter comprising a frame having an exposure opening and consisting oftwo companion frame members secured together, and a plurality of narrow, radially disposed blades overlapping*eachother .along their side edges and slidably' mounted Vbetween said frame members to move in lines lengthwise'of themselves.

5. A vignetter comprising a an exposureopening and consisting of two companion frame members secured together7 Y selves toward frame having` and a plurality of narrow, overlapping blades grouped around said opening` and slidably mounted between said frame members to move in lines lengthwise of themand away from the middle of and stops for limiting lengthsaid opening,

said blades in either dif wise movement of rection. l

6. A vignettercomprising a frame member formed with a central opening, and hav-V ing radially extending grooves anda plu-V rality of blades movable toward and away from the lmiddle or' said opening having downturned, lengthwise extendingedge portions entering said groovesand means for slidably securing said blades upon said frame member. 4

7. Avignetter comprising an oval `frame member, :formed witha central opening and having radially extending grooves, aplurality of blades movable toward and away from the middle of said opening having downturned, lengthwise extending edge portions entering said grooves, each terminating in a .shouldered portion, stops at cach endof the grooves, limiting the lengthwise movement of said blades, and means for` slidably securing said bladesV upon said frame member. 4

8. A vignetter'com rising a frame having a central opening, a p urality of overlapping blades movable toward andyaway from the middle of saidopenin'g guided in said frame to move lengthwisefof themselves, and,`

tongues on sai blades, forming finger holds whereby said blades may be manipulated;

ALFoNso er, vana.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each,rby addressing the' commissioner at Patent Washington, D. C. v 

